Tempered in the Forge
by Disdun
Summary: Rai, a young blacksmith, was commissioned by Garen to make him a new sword. However, things go wrong and poeple get hurt. Will Rai lose sight of his purpose, or will he...I dunno, I suck at writing summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Right, this is my first fanfiction...read and review, pls, let me know how I can improve the story :3**

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><p>Chapter 1: The Blacksmith<p>

"Yeah, just get me that bucket over there."

A youth with snowy white hair worked at an anvil as a pink-haired girl scurried around the blacksmith's workshop, placing a steel bucket of cold water next to the anvil. "Thanks, Suna," he said, not taking his eyes off his work, "but I can't really be expected to cool a sword in a bucket half full of water."

Suna pouted. "Well, maybe you should get it yourself, Bob."

"Don't call me Bob."

"Bob, Bob, Bob-Bob-Bob-Bob-"

He turned around and gave her a look. Suna cringed. "Alright, alright, fine...party pooper." He grunted and turned back to the sword he was crafting. As he hammered, Suna filled his bucket with more water.

"Thanks, Suna."

"You're welcome, Billy."

He turned around again and gave her a withering glance. "Would it kill you to use my actual name?" Suna laughed and bounced on her heels.

"Fine, Rai-Rai~" Rai shook his head and turned back to the unfinished sword. _That_ _girl is going to give me_ _a migraine._

A few hours later, he stepped back and examined the sword. It was gigantic; the blade itself was easily five and a half feet long. He whistled. I should have asked that girl to bring a vat, there's no way this thing can fit into the tiny bucket. He sighed, picked up the bucket, and dumped its contents onto the hot sword. Steam billowed out in white blankets, and he squinted his eyes as he went to refill the bucket. He continued to pour water on the sword until steam finally stopped coming off of the steel. He sighed and sat on the bucket. "I hope Garen doesn't break this sword, it's going to be a pain to remake." Suddenly, a growl echoed throughout the room. Rai jumped to his feet, instantly alert. He looked wildly around the workshop, searching for the source of the noise. Another growl sounded, and Rai's face took on a slightly pink hue as he realized that stomachs growl when they haven't been fed. "At least Suna wasn't around to hear that..."

"Where am I that I didn't hear that?" Rai inwardly groaned as Suna walked through the kitchen door with a smirk plastered to her face. "You know, Rai, I'm surprised that you didn't feel it before you heard it. You're usually the one always complaining about his empty stomach."

"I was busy, okay?" Rai said defensively. "Besides, this sword is due in two days, I don't want it to be late."

Suna rolled her eyes and waved her hand toward the kitchen. "Suuuuuuure. Anyway, your dinner is in the kitchen, though I bet it's cold by now. If you're going to heat it up, then put it on the stove for-" she stopped when she realized Rai had disappeared. "Men..."

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><p>"Alright, Suna, I'll be back soon. I'm just going over to the next town up north; I shouldn't be gone for more than two days." Rai stood on the village outskirts, dressed in a brown traveling cloak with the blade strapped onto his back. He grinned as Suna hugged him.<p>

"Stay safe, Rai. If you die, I'll kill you until you die to death!" Rai laughed and hugged her back.

"You be safe too." They let go and looked at each other for a moment. After about a minute, Rai gave in and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be off now!" Rai called as he started on the road. _With this, I'll be known all around Valoran!_

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><p>Rai squinted as he entered the loud and bright streets of the town. <em>It's ten o' clock at night, why are the streets so damn crowded?!<em> He looked around for the inn that he was supposed to be staying at. _This_ _place is going to give me a headache faster than Suna, and that's saying something...better find that inn_ _fast_. After about half an hour of wandering, he gave up and collapsed on an empty wooden bench in front of a few forlorn stores. He tilted his head back and looked at the sky. _It's so bright, I can't even see the stars_. In his vain search, he tilted his head back too far and slipped off of the bench, slamming his head on the hard cobblestone. As he lay there, a store's sign started to come into focus...and he realized he was in front of the inn he was supposed to be staying at. "Oh."

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><p>"What do you mean that Garen can't make it?!" Rai wanted to scream with frustration. He'd made a huge sword, walked all this way with said sword, to be told that Garen completely forgot about Rai and had commissioned a sword from another blacksmith.<p>

"I'm very sorry for the trouble, sir. However, Garen has ordered me to pay you in full as if you had delivered the sword, to compensate for your troubles." The Demacian diplomat handed Rai a small pouch full of gold. Rai took it and weighed it in his hands. He considered it for a moment. There was no way he would accept pay for undelivered work, but the diplomat would also refuse to not give him something. "Hmm...I can't accept pay for undelivered work, but you would probably refuse to not give me something." The diplomat nodded. "Therefore, I will only take enough for me to purchase supplies for my journey back home." He used the table they were seated around as support to stand up. "And I won't take no for an answer." The diplomat stood as well.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, sir Rai." Rai chuckled.

"No, no, the pleasure is mine."

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><p>"Hey? Have you heard?"<p>

"Yeah...apparently, a village down south was attacked by bandits."

Rai overheard this but didn't pay much mind to it. After all, he was about to head home after a-

Wait.

Rai tapped the speaker on the shoulder. "What's this about a southern village?" Rai asked, dreading the answer. The person seemed delighted to share his grim tale with another.

"Didn't you hear? Late last night, a horde of bandits ravaged a small village down south. I hear that there are no survivors."

Before the man had even finished speaking, Rai rushed out of town.

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><p><strong>I don't mind the favorites or follows, but pls review :3<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Regularly scheduled chapter updates isn't really going to be a thing...yet. I'll see if I can manage some time in the future. Until then, I'm just going to write and update when I and my "editor" are satisfied. Oh, and disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC's.**

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><p>Chapter 2: Renewed Purpose<p>

"This can't be happening."

Rai arrived back at his village at the onset of noon. Or rather, what was left of his village. Rai slowly walked in a stupefied trance through the destruction. As he meandered toward his house, he remembered that he had a secret basement under the forge. Maybe Suna had managed to hide in the basement. Maybe Suna was safe from bandits, but scared out of her mind. Filled with renewed hope, he rushed to the ashes of his home and frantically dug through the rubble, searching for the trapdoor. He found the trapdoor, and swore when it wouldn't open. He violently kicked the trapdoor open and jumped inside. "Suna...SUNA! Damn...it's dark in here..." He fumbled around for matches and a candle. When he finally lit it, he glanced around quickly. Rai spotted a patch of pink on the ground, behind a stack of gray clay pots. "Suna!" He rushed quickly to the unmoving girl. He checked her breathing, and was relieved to hear her quietly exhale. Rai slowly fell back on his butt, breathing a sigh of relief. "Damn...don't scare me like that again."

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><p>After a few minutes of sitting there doing nothing, a female voice shouted, "HELLO? ANYONE THERE?" A deep male voice answered her, his voice too quiet for Rai to make out the words. Curious, Rai crept closer to the trapdoor to listen better.<p>

"-survivors. We're wasting our time here. Let's go back to the Order." Rai attempted to stand, but his legs were numb and he fell flat on his face with a loud thud. A man poked his head into the trapdoor. "I take that back." The man, whose face was covered with a dark blue mask, extended his hand to Rai. "My name is Shen." Rai took Shen's hand, and Shen hauled him up.

"Thanks. My name is Rai." Shen, with Rai, stepped out of the basement. Rai stretched and looked around, and jumped when he saw a girl staring at him an inch from his face. Shen gestured to the girl, who was dressed in a rather revealing green outfit. "This here is Akali. We hurried over here from the Kinkoku Order the moment we heard that there were bandits, but it is obvious that we were too late." Akali nodded and held out her hand.

Rai shook Akali's hand. "I myself wasn't here to witness it, but..." Rai trailed off.

"I was." Rai turned around so quickly he nearly got whiplash. Suna poked her head from the trapdoor. "What's got you so excited, snowhead?" Rai opened his mouth to retaliate, but thought better of it.

"Well...Shen and Akali came from some place or the other to fight the bandits, but they were too late." As Rai spoke, Suna crawled out of the trapdoor. She looked around sadly at the burned houses.

"Well...we have no home now...where do we go?" Rai deadpanned. Shen and Akali conferred quietly together for a moment, then turned back to the two.

Akali said carefully, "I suppose the Kinkou Order can house and train you for three years. If-" Rai bluntly interrupted.

"Why three years?"

"In three years, we are going to go to a place where we will represent Ionia in battles. Do you have any other questions?" Rai raised his hand. Suna stomped on his toes.

"We aren't going to do this for free, are we?" Shen chuckled as Rai jumped up and down, howling. Akali spoke when Rai calmed down enough to shoot Suna a dirty glance.

"Well..." Akali gave Rai a sly grin. He gulped and took an involuntary step back, unintentionally putting pressure on the injured toes. "You'll have to go on some assigned missions. Don't worry, they won't get in the way of your training." Rai tried to look as thoughtful as he could while lying on the ground.

"I suppose I really don't have a choice. I have no home to go back to, like Shen said, and I need to learn how to take care of myself," Rai said. Akali snickered and Shen nodded.

"Then...we are off. Pack what belongings you can salvage; we'll be leaving within the hour." Rai stood and hurried off to find what he could from the ruins of his house, Suna trailing behind him.

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><p>As Rai dug through the ashes, his fingers crunched against a hard surface.<p>

"Ow!" Suna rolled her eyes. He ignored her, felt around the object, then found a handle and pulled. His hammer slid out of the black dust and he scrutinized it carefully. Despite the fire it must have been through, the hammer was surprisingly unharmed. "Weird..." he muttered to himself as he stuffed it into a blue bag that Shen had given him.

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><p>Shen and Akali stood on the village outskirts, watching Rai and Suna as he lugged a huge sword toward them, the bag hanging from Suna's grasp. Shen raised an invisible eyebrow. "By the looks of it, that sword was meant for an oaf like Garen Crownguard. Why do you bring it?" Rai fought to keep a straight face.<p>

"It's the only weapon I have. Since Garen didn't show up to claim it, I intend to use it." Shen raised the other invisible eyebrow, but said nothing. Akali looked uncertainly at the blade, then at Rai. "What?" Rai said defensively. Suna looked askance at Rai's arms and quickly turned away, struggling to keep her face blank. Rai looked to Shen for assistance, but Shen shrugged.

"Let us get going."

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><p><strong>Aaaaand cut! To be honest, I initially wrote the story to kill off Suna, but thought better of it because:<strong>

**1. Not enough character development**

**2. Suna gives me sooo many more possibilities :3**

**Anyways, thanks for reading, more to come soon**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay...so I've been working unnaturally long for a shorter-than-usual chapter...uhh...*tries to think of excuses* I've been trying to get out of Silver 4? ^^;; anyway enough AN here's the chapter**

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><p>Chapter 3: Kinkoku's Training<p>

Rai gaped at the ornate temple before them. He'd never been to a temple like this before. His racing thoughts were interrupted as Shen gave Akali instructions. "Akali, you are to be Suna's guide. Show her her room, and give her the schedule she is to be living by for the next..." Shen's voice trailed off as he looked Suna up and down. Shen smirked behind his mask. "The next six months. I'll be Rai's guide; he'll have the same schedule."

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><p>"This room even comes with its own hot-springs bath?!" Rai looked like he was having a field day. Shen smiled behind his mask as Rai inspected every inch of his new room.<p>

"Well, I'll leave the schedule that I assigned to you here on the table, all right? I'll be down the hallway if you have any questions." Rai happily nodded as Shen exited his room. After several minutes, Rai finally calmed himself enough to pick up the schedule and scan through it.

WHAT. THE. HECK.

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><p>"Akali!" Akali nearly spat out her oolong tea as Suna burst into her room. "Akali, I think I got the wrong schedule. This seems to be the one for Spartans." Akali laughed as she realized what Suna wanted.<p>

"No, no, Shen doesn't make mistakes...usually." Suna stood there open-mouthed, a finger still pointing at the schedule. Akali smirked. "Anyway, you should go to sleep now. You have a very, very, very busy day tomorrow."

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><p>"Have you ever used a sword before?" Shen stood at the front of the dojo.<p>

"Well..." Rai deadpanned. "I'm pretty handy with a regular sword." Shen's eyes glinted a bit more than usual.

"Shall we test that?"

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><p>Suna panted as she shakily grasped her wooden two and a half foot sword, sweat streaming off her face. Akali crouched in front of Suna, her breathing even despite the strenuous workout. Akali huffed in exasperation. "Suna, you should work out more. You need to build up more stamina and strength." Suna's face turned slightly red as she struggled to keep the sword aloft. When Suna didn't respond, Akali rolled her eyes, ran around her and pushed her forward, sending her sprawling onto the mat. "I'll let Shen know that you're going to train your body before you train your skills." Suna was too tired to argue; all she could do was lie on the ground and gasp like a dying fish.<p>

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><p>"Up, Rai. We still have two more hours of training." Rai's face shone with sweat as he struggled to lift his five foot and a half sword over his head for the fiftieth time. "Good. Now, try to hit me." Rai wavered for a moment, then steeled himself and swung the sword at Shen, who was reading a book. Shen easily evaded the blow, not taking his eyes off his book. He flipped the page. "Change of plans. Our training ends when you can make me look up." Rai, too tired to speak, fell on the floor. Shen heard him fall and looked up. "Damn."<p>

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><p>"Thank you for the food!" Suna and Rai stuffed rice and fish into their mouths, completely ignoring the open stares they were receiving from the other ninjas of the order. Akali caught herself watching the pair and tore her gaze off them, refocusing on her noodles. After a few minutes, Suna calmed herself enough to look around. "Akali, where's Shen? He hasn't come to dinner." Akali slurped up a strand of a noodle.<p>

"He went to check on how Kennen's mission went. He should be back soon." Rai and Suna shared a glance, the same question running through their minds. _Who's Kennen?_

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><p>"And these are the pupils that we took in. Their names are Rai and Suna." Rai and Suna stared, dumbfounded, at the little creature in front of them. They had heard Kennen was quite a powerful ninja, but this little yordle?<p>

Suna was the first to react. "HE'S SO CUUUUTE!" Suna grabbed Kennen into a tight embrace faster than Rai could blink, crushing him in a bear hug. Suna looked at Shen with puppy eyes. "Can I keep him?" Kennen fought for breath, but Suna hugged him even tighter.

"Eh...k...k...beeth..." Shen looked on in amusement.

"Maybe you should let him go now." Rai cracked up as Suna dropped Kennen, who was heaving for breath. Akali poked Kennen with a kama.

"This is the first time I've seen Kennen so wiped out." After a moment, Kennen had recovered enough to stand. He eyed Suna warily.

"Nice to meet you is something I'd usually say, but this has been rather traumatizing..." Rai stopped laughing long enough to nod. Suna gave a large Cheshire grin, making Kennen take several steps back.

"Nice to meet you too~" she said sweetly. Kennen nodded, sweating, and fled when Suna made another grab. "Boo."

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><p><strong>Yeah...that's it...Uh... *awkward silence* stay tuned for next chapter? Oh, and thanks for the follows :3<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**It's been a loooooong time since I last posted a chapter. To be honest, I kind of lost intrest in continuing this story until someone - thank you, you know who you are - told me that they hoped I could put up more chapters. So, here you go, chapter 4! Reviews save fanfics, guys.**

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><p>Chapter 4: Six Months<p>

Suna and Akali walked down the wooden hallway of the order, the rising sun visible from the window facing the east. "It's been six months...that insane schedule Shen gave us is finally over!" Akali nodded, smiling. Suna turned to face Akali. "Have we really grown stronger though?" Akali grinned.

"Do you want to see?"

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><p>"Where's that book?! Where's that book?!" Rai laughed with glee as he swung the sword at Shen, who was deflecting each of the blows with a flick of his daggers. True, Rai still couldn't touch Shen, but Shen couldn't read his book while sparring with Rai anymore. Pity, because Shen left off at a cliffhanger.<p>

"You still have a ways to go, Rai, but you have improved. Your strength and stamina increased; you can swing that sword like a barbarian now." Rai chortled as he spun the blade in a circle, forcing Shen to cross his daggers in an X to block it. Steel rang against steel, sending vibrations up Shen's arms. "Okay, that's all for today." Shen turned as the dojo doors opened. "Why, good morning, Akali, Suna." Suna looked at Rai, who flashed a grin. Shen walked past Akali. "We're done here, you can use it if you wish." Akali nodded, and Rai followed Shen out the door with a last glance at Suna. Akali walked to the center of the room, and beckoned Suna inside.

"Your turn, Suna. Show me what you have learned." Akali drew her training kamas, the wooden weapons blunt but dangerous. "Don't hold back." Suna gulped and crouched into a fighting stance - left arm across the chest, right hand on her short sword's handle - and waited for Akali to make the first move. When Akali saw that Suna was ready, she leapt at her, swinging her kama in a large arc toward Suna's head. Suna intercepted it with lightning-fast reflexes, deflecting the kama and countering with a swift stab at Akali's exposed abdomen. As the blade neared Akali's flesh, Akali used her other kama to knock the sword aside. Akali skidded to a halt a few feet from Suna, acknowledging her skill with a quick nod. The dojo echoed with the clacks of the wooden weapons as they charged each other again.

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><p>"Ahh~ a hot bath after a long day is the best, don't you think?" Akali asked Suna. The two were in the outdoor hot springs, steam covering the pool in a thick blanket of steam.<p>

"Of course; the hot water relaxes the muscles and gets rid of any soreness. It's really comfortable." Suna bobbed in the water, her eyes closed as the water washed away her fatigue. Akali sighed and crossed her legs, leaning against the wooden fence.

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><p>"Wow, Shen, the hot springs are spacious. Where did they come from?" Rai swam around in the water, marveling at how the heat loosened up every muscle in his body.<p>

"I was not around when this hot spring was made, but I was told that it comes from a natural underground geyser." Shen sat in the water, arms propped lazily on the sides of the spring. Rai looked askance at Shen.

"Do you never take off that mask?"

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><p>"That was a good bath!" Suna said, toweling her hair dry.<p>

"Indeed. It was quite peaceful; I thought that your friend might have tried to climb over the wooden fence." Suna froze. Her eyes drifted over to the fence.

"Is that the guy's side?" Akali's eyes gleamed mischievously.

"I've always wanted to see Shen's face without a mask..."

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><p>Suna and Akali moved through the trees surrounding the men's hot springs, hidden in the shadows. "Okay, Suna, remember: the art of peeping is essential for ninjas to learn. It teaches stealth, and the rewards...are totally worth." Suna nodded, her face stretched in a predatory grin. Akali signaled off to the side, and they dashed in opposite directions.<p>

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><p>As Rai drifted through the water, his eyes flicked around his surroundings. Something felt out of place. Suddenly, Rai heard a slight splash behind him. He spun around, but whatever had caused the noise was already gone. A hand clamped onto his shoulder. Rai swallowed a scream and whirled around. Shen's voice whispered, "Careful...we're surrounded." Rai swallowed and nodded. Senses on high alert, they scanned the trees, back to back.<p>

A scream erupted from the trees. Shen and Rai turned toward the source, when a body hurtled from the trees and slammed into the ground with a nasty crack. Rai winced. As Shen wrapped himself in his towel and jumped into the trees, Rai examined the body. The would-be assailant wore a steel mask with two shurikens equipped on his back. Since the man was clearly dead - judging from the unnatural angle his head was twisted - Rai wrapped himself in his towel and followed Shen, praying that it wouldn't fall off.

Rai arrived in time to spot a shuriken flying towards a panicking Suna. Rai roared and dashed in front of Suna, intercepting the deadly weapon with his right forearm. He gasped as the cold steel slid into the muscle, freezing his nerves and numbing the pain. He stumbled back, the assassin quickly closing in on him with a chilling laugh. As the assassin swung his arm blade at Rai's exposed chest, a purple aura enveloped him, stopping the killer dead in his tracks. Shen materialized next to Rai, fully clothed. Wait. _What? When did he put on his clothes?_ Shen grabbed the assailant by the head, lifting him clear off the ground before slamming him into the trunk of the tree. "Who ordered you to come here?" Shen asked, his voice deathly calm. The assassin glared defiantly at Shen and refused to speak. As Shen and the assassin engaged in a glaring contest, the leaves behind them rustled. Akali emerged from the foliage as Shen turned around, the body of a third assassin dangling from her hands. Shen turned back to the captive. "You have little choice but to reveal your-" Shen stopped as the eyes of the assassin glazed over. Rivulets of blood leaked out of his mask and ran down his neck. Akali walked over and checked his heartbeat.

"He's dead. He must have bitten his tongue off the moment he realized his colleagues were all dead." Shen sighed and made his way over to Rai. He knelt down and held Rai's arm steady. Rai's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Shen spoke.

"Hold still." In one swift movement, Shen yanked the shuriken from Rai's arm. Suna winced as Rai gritted his teeth, trying not to scream. Shen stood, inspecting the shuriken. As the eyes of the three people watched him, Shen tucked it in his belt, apparently satisfied.

Shen's demeanor changed as he surveyed Akali and Suna. They cowered back as he spoke, his eyes glaring angrily. "Why were you two in the men's hot springs?"

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><p><strong>Again, please review. They're what us fanfic writers run on. That and creativity. And food. And...yeah.<strong>


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